partnerships
Flutter Awards Bumper £400K Lifeline to Community Clubs
Cash-strapped community clubs across the UK and Ireland will share in a £400,000 windfall after betting and gaming group Flutter UKI unveiled the winning bids for its “Cash4Clubs” grassroots sports programme.
Flutter UKI – home to Paddy Power, Sky Betting & Gaming, Betfair and tombola – is awarding grants of £2000 a time to 200 clubs involved in everything from badminton and skateboarding to American Football, wheelchair rugby and surfing.
Community clubs and charities were able to bid for vital funding to improve their facilities, purchase new equipment, help fund coaching programmes or to invest in the sustainability of their operation.
A particular emphasis this year was placed on clubs in impoverished areas and those aiming to reach under-represented communities.
The awards come just months after the Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer announced the UK Government’s “Get Active” strategy to drive participation in sport by improving access to physical activity.
Flutter UKI originally set aside £200,000 for the 2023-24 “Cash4Clubs” awards but decided to double the fund after receiving an unprecedented 1282 applications.
“The Cash4Clubs fund will help to deliver on our ambition to get an additional 3.5 million adults and children physically active by 2030, and provide important support for community sport clubs. Staying active is vital for our health and wellbeing which is why the Government is investing over £400 million in grassroots facilities to make sure every community has access to the facilities they need,” Gambling Minister Stuart Andrew said.
Winning “Cash4Clubs” bids this year include the Team Solent wheelchair rugby club, which needed funding to survive and enter national competition, the Taibach Tigers Rounders Club in Wales and the Northern Powerhouse Boxing Academy in Todmorden, Yorkshire.
Flutter UKI CEO, Ian Brown, said: “Community clubs are the bedrock of sport in the UK and we are committed to doing everything we can to help small clubs make a real difference to people’s lives. I’m delighted we were able to double the size of this year’s Cash4Clubs fund to £400,000 after seeing a record number of applications come in. We are convinced Cash4Clubs will have a real impact in those areas that need it most.”
Since Cash4Clubs was launched in 2008, nearly £5 million has been invested into community sports by Flutter through its brands. Research shows that for every £1 invested in sports, an average of £6 is returned in social value.
Hayley Williams, captain at the Taibach Tigers, said: “It’s fantastic that we’ve been awarded a Cash4Clubs grant. We’re delighted and excited to see how we can improve the team and attract new members to the sport.”
Josie McNamara, general manager of the Northern Powerhouse Boxing Academy, said: “As a club involved in community work, receiving grants that directly support essential roles like our Head Coach is vital. A big thank you to Cash4Clubs and Flutter UKI.”
Flutter UKI worked with leading UK community sports charity Sported to deliver the Cash4Clubs programme.
NBC Sports will continue to present the Kentucky Derby on NBC and Peacock through 2032, as Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) and NBC Sports announced a multi-year extension of their partnership.
The extension of the NBC Sports-Churchill Downs relationship – which began with the 2001 “Run for the Roses” – will make NBC the longest running home of the Kentucky Derby, as NBCUniversal will become the first media company to present the most prestigious event in horse racing for three decades (32 editions of the Kentucky Derby from 2001-32).
“As we celebrate the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs is proud to extend the relationship with NBC Sports. As our media partner for the last 23 years, NBC has artfully captured the most exciting two minutes in sports and the spectacle of the senses that surrounds it,” said Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen.
“Telling the rich stories surrounding the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May is part of the fabric of NBC Sports, and we are thrilled to continue that tradition with Churchill Downs. We look forward to surrounding the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby with wall-to-wall coverage and extensive promotion on the platforms of NBCUniversal,” said Rick Cordella, President of NBC Sports.
The extension includes multiplatform rights to the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, and Derby and Oaks Day programming, which will be presented on NBC, Peacock, USA Network, and additional NBCU platforms.
SCCG Management announced a strategic partnership with Globe Gaming Limited, aiming to significantly extend its global reach with a focus on the European market. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in SCCG’s efforts to broaden its influence in the gaming and sports entertainment sectors internationally.
Founded in 2022 by industry veteran Wayne Stevenson, Globe Gaming is a consultancy known for its high-caliber partnerships across various sectors including retail gaming, online gaming, racecourses, lotteries, and football clubs. With 35 years of experience, Stevenson has cultivated a valuable network that enhances business relationships and drives value in the European and global markets.
Wayne Stevenson, Founder and CEO of Globe Gaming, said: “I am delighted to be working with Stephen and his SCCG Management team. I consider SCCG to be the leading advisory firm in the world and to be working in partnership with them is incredibly exciting. Combining the expertise of Globe Gaming and SCCG Management creates endless opportunities.”
Stephen Crystal, Founder and CEO of SCCG Management, said: “Our collaboration with Globe Gaming Limited is a strategic step towards enhancing our global presence, particularly in Europe. Wayne’s extensive experience and his network’s strength align perfectly with our mission to innovate and lead in the gaming industry. We are excited about the possibilities this partnership opens up for both companies.”
Future Anthem, the AI and data science powerhouse, announced a market-first jackpot extension to its real-time personalisation product Amplifier AI that generates personalised audiences for jackpot games, triggered in real-time.
Launched in collaboration with Blueprint Gaming’s Jackpot King games, Amplifier AI’s Audience Identifier empowers operators to seize unprecedented opportunities to engage with players through personalised real-time jackpot marketing messaging.
How Audience Identifier works
Audience Identifier constantly monitors pot sizes, identifying points of player interest. It then generates audiences of relevant players, using recommendation algorithms, and triggers 3rd party messaging or CRM systems, to send player communications in real-time, both on and offsite.
The product, which can be set up and deployed in under four weeks, bolsters engagement across Blueprint Gaming’s market-leading portfolio of Jackpot King titles, with player messaging personalised by game. The legendary jackpot network boasts recent hits like Bankin’ More Bacon Jackpot King and Cash Strike Jackpot King, as well as long-time classics such as Fishin’ Frenzy Jackpot King and The Goonies Jackpot King.
This enhancement marks the first extension of Amplifier AI’s Audience Identifier product to casino, after beginning in sports where operators such as William Hill use it to generate audiences in real-time based on betting behaviours and micro-events.
Chris Conroy, Chief Data Officer at Future Anthem, said: “This is a perfect example of Anthem’s commitment to innovation and excellence in AI-driven marketing solutions that improve player experiences, building on the strong foundations of successfully working with Blueprint for over three years.”
Thomas O’Halleran, Director of Operations at Blueprint Gaming, added: “Blueprint Gaming is driven to provide great player experiences. Our integration with this new audience innovation product provides an industry-leading approach to real-time player engagement. It will also leverage Blueprint’s Jackpot King portfolio and provide a personalised player utility to enhance the entertainment delivered by the gameplay.”
Built to personalise the player experience, Amplifier AI humanises anonymised transactional data with machine learning to enable real-time personalisation.
The post Future Anthem Launches New AI-driven Jackpot Audience Targeting with Blueprint Gaming appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Baltics4 weeks agoLithuania’s Nese enters iGaming with a record sponsorship deal
-
Latest News1 week agoThe Importance of Data Quality Review Checks in the Gaming Industry
-
Asia2 weeks agoOnlyplay Enters into Strategic Partnership with Ritchie Rabbit
-
Africa4 weeks ago
BMM Testlabs Continues Its Expansion in Africa with New Licenses in Botswana and Nigeria to Test Land-Based and Digital Products
-
Africa4 weeks ago
KingMakers’ Nigerian operating business, BetKing, selects Genius Sports to power growth with in-play trading services
-
Conferences in Europe4 weeks agoAltenar becomes General Sponsor of EEGS 2024
-
EurAsia4 weeks agoFastex Forges Partnership with Olympionic Foundation to Boost Sports Development in Armenia
-
Compliance Updates4 weeks agoBooming Games secures Romanian B2B license
